People are taking action in the United States. The governor of Ohio has closed all public schools, K-12, and said people should avoid large gatherings. The public libraries are closed. My school has said students should not come to campus more than half an hour before a Final Exam, and leave as soon as they finish.
Professional sports leagues have cancelled games. The NCAA has cancelled the national basketball tournaments. People are being told to stay away from everyone, and mostly stay home. So what do we do?
I did my taxes this morning, or at least I started. I have been reading. I may go for a walk, but I don't talk to people when I walk, so I think that will be fine. I had planned to walk to the library, because that is a nice walk, and I have two books I finished reading that I could take back. But Liz reminded me to check to see if the library is open. It is closed. And the book drop is closed. Just hold onto your books, the library website said.
I expect I have enough books to keep me occupied for a couple of weeks, at least. I have a phone, so I can call people, I guess, though I'm not a fan of phone calls. Streaming services are working, so we could watch whatever we want.
People are posting predictions about the future, like having a baby boomlet in nine months, and calling them coronials. And in 2033, Quaranteens. That won't happen at my house, no matter how enthusiastically we try, but babies do often result from enforced stays at home.
Will these actions change the outcome? We'll see. As some have pointed out, if these actions are very successful, the naysayers will claim, from now on, that all these actions were unnecessary. Some are already claiming that all the fuss over the coronavirus is just a conspiracy to hurt Donald Trump's re-election chances. Wouldn't it be great if no more people die of this disease?
Positive tests in Ohio have nearly tripled in one day, but so few people are being tested that it doesn't mean very much. Numbers will grow.
My daughter told me of an ER doctor she knows who treated a patient with symptoms suggesting coronavirus in her city. Then the doctor got symptoms. The doctor hasn't been tested because he didn't qualify. That was because the patient hadn't been tested. The patient didn't qualify for a test. So, Dayton could have a whole cluster of cases, but no one will know for some time because of a lack of access to tests. The doctor has been told to go back to work. The cluster may grow before it is identified. Or maybe we'll all get lucky, and it will just be the flu, though I expect that was ruled out with a test.
It may be several weeks before we have adequate access to tests to measure the extent of spread of the coronavirus in Ohio and other states. It may be months before we see the peak of the pandemic. If we're lucky. It may be days before our whole health care infrastructure is overwhelmed with critically ill patients. I don't think Trump is qualified to be president, and I'd really like to see him destroyed politically and held accountable for his criminal actions, but I'd still rather see the coronavirus stopped, now. Before my mother is exposed. Or my students. Or Liz or Sharon or Erin, who probably qualify as higher risk.
So I will wash my hands, and stay away from people. And read another book.
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